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Author Topic:   Is the speed of light constant between galaxies?
nwr
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Posts: 6409
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 5 of 66 (679689)
11-15-2012 9:13 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by sunshaker
11-14-2012 1:43 PM


I will simply point out that it is far from obvious what it might mean to say that the speed of light is constant.
One of the things that Einstein taught us, was there there can be no universal measuring scale. How we measure things, such as speed, will depend on our inertial frame.
The question, on whether the speed of light is constant, would seem to require a universal scale.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

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 Message 6 by sunshaker, posted 11-15-2012 10:12 AM nwr has seen this message but not replied
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nwr
Member
Posts: 6409
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 32 of 66 (679947)
11-16-2012 4:20 PM
Reply to: Message 26 by AZPaul3
11-16-2012 12:23 AM


Re: Constant Speed of Light
But, Einstein's great insight was that this is in fact not the case for light.
But I think something is missing there.
I was questioning the meaning of "constant speed".
As I see it, the constancy of the speed of light is used as a sort of standardizing principle, so as to find ways of translating measuring scales between different inertial frames. It is unlikely that the OP was asking about standardizing principles. So I wanted to know what he thought he was asking about.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

This message is a reply to:
 Message 26 by AZPaul3, posted 11-16-2012 12:23 AM AZPaul3 has replied

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 Message 33 by Taq, posted 11-16-2012 4:37 PM nwr has seen this message but not replied
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